The use of systems for heating and dispensing hot water is known in the market place. As used herein, "hot water" refers to water at temperatures at or about 190.degree. Fahrenheit (88.degree. Celsius), but below the boiling point of water (212.degree. Fahrenheit/100.degree. Celsius). Water at this high temperature can be made available at a dedicated faucet for users needing hot water to make, for example, coffee, tea, or cocoa. A typical preexisting, system heats water in a relatively small tank that is situated below the sink on which the dedicated faucet is mounted. The tank may have a capacity of 1/3 or 1/2 gallons (1.3 or 1.9 liters). Such tanks are usually divided into two chambers, a main chamber and an expansion chamber. Water is heated electrically in the main chamber. The expansion chamber is contiguous with the main chamber and contains water that is initially heated in the main chamber and allowed to expand into the expansion chamber to preclude pressure buildup generated by heating the water.
Most known water heating chambers and tanks utilize metal fabricating wherein several pieces of metal must be integrated together to create separate air and watertight chambers. This metal construction is labor intensive, requires expensive cleaning operations during fabrication and is susceptible to leaks. As a result, a hot water dispenser with a plastic tank construction was developed and is the subject of application Ser. Nos. 09/396,387, and 09/026,070, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Tanks that are not comprised of metal, however, are less able to sufficiently withstand heat produced during an accidental dry operation, which happens when the heating element is activated after installation of the tank and before water has been introduced into the system. Accordingly, a need exists for a heat dissipating system that allows a plastic water-heating tank of a hot water dispenser to survive an accidental dry operation.